Republicans tap Rothwell for supervisor

Council Member Ken Rothwell is the Riverhead Republican Committee designee for town supervisor in the November general election.

The committee met last night at the Riverhead VFW to formally designate a candidate in the supervisor’s race.

Rothwell’s name was the only name placed in nomination for the post. He was nominated by his son, Kenneth R. Rothwell, a member of the town Republican committee.

“It is my honor to nominate Ken Rothwell for Riverhead supervisor,” the younger Rothwell said, reading from prepared remarks.  

“As a councilman over the past four years, Ken Rothwell has dedicated his time to the Town of Riverhead, where he started and completed projects such as providing clean drinking water in Manorville, an ice rink and bathrooms at Veterans Memorial Park, and programs to honor veterans, such as hometown hero banners and trees at Veterans Memorial Park, and last week,he organized the sixth grade to view the Garfield Langhorn film premiere at Suffolk theater,” Kenneth R. Rothwell said. 

“He continued to work with the entire town board regarding downtown projects such as the revitalization and ongoing Riverhead Town Square. To date, Ken Rothwell has raised over $6 million and is proud to announce that the groundbreaking will be occurring this year to construct a new RVAC facility, in which the current facility has been long outgrown and overdue to be replaced,” he said. 

“Beyond his tangible works, Ken Rothwell brings a sense of stability and professionalism to town hall. Ken has been known for his responsiveness to residents and businesses in our community, as he continues to work to make our town a better place to live and work,” he concluded.

The committee voted unanimously by acclamation to designate Rothwell as its candidate for town supervisor.

The council member stood to thank the committee. 

“I promise to give you a full commitment of all my time, all my efforts and energy,” Rothwell said.  He said he would need the help of the entire committee to win in November. “I will look forward to your help throughout the year,” he said.

“I’m a straightforward person that accepts constructive criticism as we go along,” Rothwell said. He invited anyone who thinks “we’re not on the right path” to “come forward and say, ‘here’s what we need to do.” 

Rothwell praised his Republican colleagues on the Town Board as “three incredible council people” and said he looks forward to working with them “and all the other elected officials in the town.”

“I can’t do this without you,” he told committee members, “and I look forward to your ongoing support. It’s a true honor from the bottom of my heart to accept this nomination,” Rothwell said.

Rothwell was appointed by the Town Board in January 2021 to fill the council seat vacated by former councilwoman Jodi Giglio, who was elected to the State Assembly in November 2020. He ran for and won a full four-year term that November and was re-elected to a second term in November 2025. 

While Rothwell has the town Republican committee’s full support, any registered Republican who is a resident of Riverhead Town can still seek the party’s nomination by gathering enough signatures on a designating petitions to force a party primary election, which would take place in June. The first day for circulating party designating petitions is Feb. 24.

Supervisor Jerry Halpin declined to comment for this article. He said he expects to be making an announcement today or tomorrow about whether he will seek re-election to another term.

Halpin, a political newcomer who won an upset victory over incumbent Republican Tim Hubbard in November by just 37 votes, won a one-term because New York’s Even-Year Election Law, enacted in 2024, forced the realignment of local elections so that so that they take place in even-numbered years, to coincide with state and federal elections. Whoever wins this November will win a full two-year term — unless a federal court now presiding over a lawsuit brought by the state Republican committee to nullify the state law issues a decision that changes things. 

Rothwell, 54, a resident of Wading River for nearly 30 years, is a licensed funeral director and the owner of the Alexander Rothwell Funeral Home in Wading River and the Werner-Rothwell Funeral Home in Westhampton Beach. 

He said in an interview today he recently sold his funeral home in Southampton and has transferred his funeral home in Hampton Bays to his brother, Robert, also a licensed funeral director who has worked with him for 20 years.

Rothwell intends to maintain ownership of his two remaining funeral homes if elected. “I’m fortunate that I have an incredible staff” to run the funeral homes so every family that comes to the  funeral home is in great care,” Rothwell said.

He and his wife Debra have two adult sons, Kenneth and Cameron.  

Correction: This article has been amended to correct the name of one of the funeral homes Ken Rothwell has retained ownership of. It is Werner-Rothwell Funeral Home in Westhampton Beach, not Scott-Rothwell Funeral Home in Hampton Bays.